12+Sansom

Urban development is a delicate balancing act, and sometimes we must say goodbye to cherished local destinations in order to make way for a plan that is ultimately more beneficial to the community and to the city at large. One of such trade-offs is slated to occur at 7619 Germantown Avenue in Mount Airy, Northwest Philadelphia, where the Trolley Car Diner is set to meet the wrecking ball, to be replaced by a six-story, mixed-use residential development designed by Morrissey Design. Although the charming chrome, neon, mural, and freestanding trolley of the diner will be missed, the proposal at hand makes for more effective use of the site, bringing significant residential density within a two0-block walk of the Mount Airy Station of the SEPTA Regional Rail and replacing the auto-centric restaurant with pedestrian-friendly retail.

The construction boom in Francisville continues unabated with the issue of permits for a three-story, four-unit residential building at 1436 Parrish Street in the rapidly growing lower North Philadelphia neighborhood. The site is owned by Rubin Realty LLC, which also owns several nearby properties where similarly-scaled new developments were recently announced at 1424 Parrish Street, 1434 Parrish Street, and 830 Burns Street. As with the above-mentioned projects, the developer has secured Alexander Fiskman as the architect and Modern Solution LLC as the contractor. Construction is expected to cost $180,000.